Relatively young by blues standards, the 58-year-old Washington got his professional start in the late 1950s, supporting famed blues singer Johnny Adams. In the '60s, he worked with other New Orleans R&B legends such as Irma Thomas and Lee Dorsey before forming his own band. Since striking out on his own, Washington has built a reputation as a must-see live act. Although his first album wasn't released until 1981, he had by then secured a near-legendary reputation thanks largely to his club work in and around New Orleans with his road-tested Roadmasters in tow.
Washington's impassioned vocals fall closer to the deep-soul end of the spectrum than the traditional blues moan, and his guitar often stutters along in pure James Brown funk mode. Multiple horns add to his already high-octane stage show. The cost and hassle of keeping together a large touring band means that few young blues fans have had a chance to see a brass-heavy blues act in all its glory. Walter "Wolfman" Washington and the Roadmasters offer just such an opportunity.
